Reassurance
by life.rhapsody
Summary: KakaIru. Companion piece to "Caring for You." Implied SasuNaru.


Disclaimer: Don't own.

AN: Companion piece to "Caring for you". Implied SasuNaru.

* * *

Iruka walked into their apartment. Frowning. The jounin said he was going to meet his after class at the academy so that they could go out for lunch. He even waited forty five minutes, knowing his lover's behavior, but the jounin didn't show up. He slipped off his sandals and hooked his vest near the front door.

"Kakashi?" Iruka called into the apartment.

"Bathroom," Kakashi called back.

Iruka walked to the bathroom and found Kakashi shirtless, but that observation soon fled when Iruka realized _why _the jounin was shirtless, "What happened?" Iruka asked concerned and eyed the long cut on the jounin's right bicep that nearly reached around to the older man's back.

Kakashi sighed as he took another piece of gauze and soaked it in a good amount of alcohol, "Training with Naruto, Sakura couldn't make it, she had something to do with Tsunade," he pressed the swab against the cut.

"Here, let me help you," Iruka took the gauze and pressed it along the cut and realized that it was a lot deeper than he thought, "So you guys were training with Kunai?"

Kakashi looked down at his shoulder and winced, "Yeah, it would have been ugly if I didn't dodge it."

Iruka looked up, "You consider this dodging?"

Kakashi met the younger man's gaze before looking away and preparing another piece of gauze, "It was aimed higher," he explained simply.

Iruka's eyes widened, "But that would have…," he looked at the older man's neck, "Did you two set some ground rules? Like no lethal attacks?"

"We did," he handed the chunin the fresh piece of gauze.

Iruka took it and threw away the soiled piece, pressing the new piece against the cut, "Then why…"

"I think he wanted to hurt me," he mused out loud.

Iruka looked at the older man's face, "You can't be serious."

"I think he did, subconsciously maybe," he tried shrugging but the flex made him wince.

Iruka shook his head pulling away the gauze, "Come on Kakashi, it was an accident, you're his sensei, why would he want to hurt you?" Kakashi looked at him, and he felt his heart ache at the sadness in the mismatched eyes, the older man looked away as if ashamed by his trail of thought._…Because of me? _Iruka thought, his eyes dropping to the deep cut still bleeding on the pale flesh.

"Naruto is protective…," Kakashi said softly, "I don't think he likes the idea of me being with you, despite of what he may say."

"You can't be serious…" Iruka said in disbelief, raising his gaze, "He wouldn't…" the older man shook his head.

"Subconsciously, maybe."

Iruka sighed, "You need stitches." Kakashi handed him the thread and needle. He threaded the needle and began to stitch the deep cut, "I still don't think Naruto wanted to…to kill you."

Kakashi wanted to shrug but that would have hurt. He felt the pinch of the needle, and tried not to wince at the surreal feeling, "I don't think so either, but I think he wanted to hurt me."

Iruka frowned, "I don't think he's a sadist either."

"I'm not saying that he is…" he sighed, "I'm just saying that maybe subconsciously he wanted to. To hurt the guy that is in love with the person that is much like a father to him," he paused, "I guess you can think of it as being possessive."

"That sounds a bit childish don't you think?" he looked up when the older man didn't respond, and gave the mirror and sideways glance to look at the jounin's face, "I think you're looking too much into this."

Kakashi averted his gaze from the mirror as the chunin continued his stitching, "I'm just looking underneath the underneath."

Iruka paused in his stitching for a second before continuing. The cut was deep, _and he said he dodged it?_ _That means it would have_…he glance up at the pale neck again, _Naruto wouldn't…he knew that Kakashi would dodge it…_Iruka frowned, "I'm sure he knew you were going to dodge it."

"I doubt that by the way he reacted," Kakashi said flatly.

Iruka looked up nearly poking flesh that didn't need stitching, "How did he react?"

"Freaked out."

Iruka frowned again, "Then how does that make you think this?"

"He threw that kunai with aim," he said bitterly, "He was freaking out because it almost hit it."

"Doesn't that mean he knew you were going to dodge it?"

"I did."

Iruka paused again, _and he still got you. _He finished his stitching, "Hand me the bandages." Kakashi handed him the bandages and he wrapped the bicep firmly with them to keep the stitches from reopening. He placed his hand over the now bandaged bicep, "Then…but isn't that the point of training?"

Kakashi turned to the younger man, "He wouldn't have freaked out about it."

Iruka dropped his gaze the older man's clavicle, _True…but... _Soft lips on his forehead interrupted his musings.

"Thank you."

Iruka looked up and gave his lover a small smile, and it faded away, a look of concern replaced it, "Don't hold this against him…"

Kakashi tilted his head, "I'm not the type that holds grudges, Iruka."

"That's...that's not what I meant…" Iruka bit his lip before continuing, "I don't think he has anything against you, Kakashi…maybe…he _was _being protective, but…" he trailed off, unsure where he was going with this. _What if he does have something against Kakashi? _He looked up at the older man, _What if it's not just because of me?_ He felt his heart ache, _What if he blames him?_ As if reading his mind, the mismatched eyes averted their gaze and the older man walked out of the bathroom. Iruka stood in the bathroom for a moment before following him into the connecting bedroom, and found the jounin sitting on the edge of the bed,"Kakashi…?"

Kakashi shook his head, "I don't want to think about this right now," he plopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, "I don't want to think about the different layers of what happened."

Iruka walked to the bed, crawled onto it, and sat with his legs crossed and feet tucked under his thighs, "Kakashi, you don't think that…," he paused and looked at the sheets.

Kakashi shook his head, "I don't know."

Iruka sighed, "Do you want me to talk to him?"

Kakashi looked at his lover, "I don't know…" he rubbed his face with his left hand, and made a frustrated sound.

"Hey, don't stress yourself over this, ok? That's the last thing I want you doing," he pulled away the hindering hand, "Ok?"

Kakashi gave his lover a small smile, at his concern, "Ok. Sorry."

"I'll talk to him," Iruka assured him.

Kakashi gave him a slow nod, "Ok," he looked at the ceiling before looking at the younger man again, "You know, we didn't go out for lunch like I told you. Are you hungry?"

Iruka smiled and nodded, "Yeah. Do you still want to go out?"

Kakashi's smile turned into a grin and pulled the chunin down for a kiss, breaking it breathlessly a moment later, "Sure."

Iruka chuckled and got off the bed, and watched as the older man sat up, wincing when he leaned too much on his right arm, _Yeah, I'll be talking to a certain blonde boy today._

* * *

After lunch with the older man, Iruka headed to Naruto's apartment after his lover trying to talk him out of it, saying that it wasn't such a big deal anymore, and that, frankly, he would prefer not knowing. Iruka, however, did.

He knocked on the front door of the blond boy's apartment, and Naruto answered, a bright smile spreading on the young face, "Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka smiled, "Hey, Naruto, can I come in?"

"Oh sure sure!" he moved and let his former sensei into his small apartment.

Iruka walked into the apartment that the young boy hardly occupied now and days.

"Do you need anything, Iruka-sensei?"

"I…wanted to talk to you," he looked at the blond, "About what happened today…while training with Kakashi."

Naruto cringed and scratched the back of his neck, "I didn't mean for the kunai to hit him, really, it was more of a distraction," he looked at his former sensei, "Does…does he think I did?"

Iruka sighed and sat at the young boy's kitchen table, "He said the attack was lethal, and even though he dodged it, it still got him," he watched as the blue eyes widened.

"I didn't…oh man," he slumped, "He doesn't actually think I meant to…you know, _kill_ him, does he?"

Iruka looked into the blue eyes, his expression serious, "Naruto, do you have problem him being with me?" he asked gently.

Naruto huffed, "No, even though I think he's a pervert, I've come to terms with the fact that you are in love and I can't do anything about it."

Iruka smiled, his former student was growing up, his smiled faded though, "Then…do you resent him for something?"

Naruto's eyes widened, "No – I –"

"You're stuttering…," Iruka pointed out, fearing the worse.

Naruto sighed and sat at the table, in front of Iruka, "I don't think I do," he shook his head, "There isn't a reason for me to."

"Naruto," he said gently, "are you sure about that?" blue eyes looked at him, unsure before averting their gaze. There was a long moment of silence and Iruka felt his stomach turn, "Naruto -."

"I know it's not his fault. That it's not his fault Sasuke left," the hand on the table clenched into a fist, "But he didn't do anything about it, he didn't do what he was suppose to do as our sensei, to keep us together. He knew that Sasuke was…troubled, and yet…and yet he didn't do anything," he paused, noticing that Iruka was quietly listening to him, "He knew that Sasuke wanted revenge and what did he do?" he practically snapped, "Teach him the chidori!"

Iruka felt his chest clench, listening Kakashi's own regret coming for his former student, one of the regrets that literally made the jounin sick. Iruka downcast his gaze.

Naruto sighed, "I know I shouldn't be mad. I know he was doing his part of being our sensei," he looked at Iruka, "I know no one could have stopped Sasuke…but we could have tried."

Iruka looked into the blue eyes that expressed sheer emotion, he hesitated, it wasn't any of his business, but the way Naruto was reacting…"Naruto…did you love Sasuke?" the blue eyes softened before dropping their gaze to the table.

"What do you mean 'did'?" he asked softly.

Iruka placed his hand over the pale one on the table as a soothing gesture, "I'm sorry Naruto. I know that you will get him back."

Naruto smiled, almost a grin, and looked up at Iruka, "That's the idea."

Iruka chuckled and moved his hand away.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, tell Kakashi-sensei that I didn't mean anything personal by the attack…," he shrugged, "I guess I got caught up with stuff," he smirked, "Good thing he's the legendary Sharingan Kakashi, huh?"

Iruka laughed, "I'll tell him," he stood and walked around the table and placed a firm hand on the blonde's shoulder, "You'll get him back, I know you will."

Naruto smiled up at him, "I know."

* * *

Iruka stepped into his apartment and found the jounin sleeping on the couch, he smiled and walked over to him, planting a kiss on the pale forehead. The older man stirred and smiled up at him, before the smile faltered, replaced by a look of concern.

"Did you talk to him?" he asked softly, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Iruka nodded. The older man sat up and he took seat next to him, "He said that he didn't mean anything personal by it, that he got caught up with 'stuff', which I think he meant that he got caught up with his emotions."

Kakashi pulled the younger man towards him, shifting until Iruka's back was against his chest, "Does…" he trailed off and rested his head on the shoulder in front of him.

Iruka rubbed an arm that was loosely wrapped around his shoulders in understanding, "He understands that no one could have stopped Sasuke. What upsets him is that no one tried to." He said gently and felt the older man tense behind him. He turned his head to face the older man, "Kakashi?" The older man raised his head and pressed his lips against the younger man's shoulder. Mismatched eyes looked up at him, before closing and the silver head lowered again.

"Kakashi," he said softly and turned enough to cup the older man's face, lifting it to meet his gaze, "Please, love, don't do this to yourself again…"

Kakashi closed his eyes again and placed his hand over the one along his cheek, relaxing under the touch, "It seems I failed him too, hm?"

"You didn't fail anyone, Kakashi," he kissed the other cheek in a soothing gesture, "Please, 'Kashi…" A small smile grace the older man's lips before the mismatched eyes opened to look at him.

"I'm sorry, Ruru."

Iruka sighed and shook his head, "Everything will be alright. Naruto is quiet determined and I have no doubt that he'll bring Sasuke back." _Love has its own strength all in its own_, "Plus, he's being trained by a sanin _and _the great Sharingan Kakashi."

Kakashi smiled and leaned his head to seal their lips in a soft kiss. Iruka smiled and rested his head on the older man's shoulder, "You worry me sometimes."

"Sorry."

Iruka lifted his head, "You shouldn't blame yourself for everything…"

"When it's my fault…my responsibility…" he trailed off when a soft thumb trailed his vertical scar.

"You didn't let me finish," he smiled fondly at his lover, "You shouldn't blame yourself for everything, and not forgive yourself in the end. Everyone feels guilt for one thing or another, but they have to learn how to forgive themselves…and I understand that it may be difficult, but…it's not healthy, no one should live with a guilt that they think is unforgiveable."

Kakashi smiled, "You always seem to know what to say."

Iruka blushed, and ironically, didn't know what to say.

Kakashi chuckled and kissed his lover again. He couldn't be happier to have someone to confide in, someone to trust. Someone to tell him that everything was going to be alright. If it came from anyone else, he wouldn't believe those simply words. But coming from him, he couldn't help but feel better.

"I love you, Iruka," he whispered against the younger man's lips. A brilliant blush dusking the tan cheeks.

"I love you too, Kakashi," he whispered back with a smile.

Yes. He felt much better.


End file.
